New England Patriots safety Adrian Phillips had numerous things to be happy about this week.
The 29-year-old signed a three-year extension with the team that has a max value of $14.25 million. He also was a key contributor in the Patriots’ 50-10 rout of the Jacksonville Jaguars.
Following the victory, Phillips went into more detail about his extension and the excitement that followed once it was a done deal.
“I knew the talks had been going on for a little while now, but I stayed out of it just because I wanted to work on the season,” Phillips said. “Last week they picked up a lot and then we were able to get something done. We were able to get the agreement and once I found out I was happy. It was a big weight lifted off my shoulders.”
Phillips has the third-most tackles on the team (80) and he’s tied with Kyle Dugger for the second-most interceptions (4). Phillips and Dugger will be fundamental pieces of the Patriots’ secondary for years to come now.
But, what makes him so excited about staying in Foxborough?
“Really just the culture,” Phillips said. “I’ve talked about this before, but from the outside looking in you kind of get this stigma about Foxborough, like there’s no fun here, blah, blah, blah, whatever it is. And then you get here and you see it ain’t like that at all. It’s really just hard work. You do your job, you win games, you have fun going to the postseason.
“Being able to be coached by somebody like Coach Belichick, like who doesn’t want that opportunity? He’s the greatest coach in the game, to me personally. Just being around his mind and his savvy and seeing how he operates, this is where I want to be. This is a city built on football, and I just love it. It was easy for me to be able to get something worked out to stay here.”
The Patriots have clinched a playoff spot and will face the Miami Dolphins in Week 18.
